On the run-up to PiWars 2020, we had P20 under development. Although this robot was largely complete, it didn’t really pay much attention to the theme of the games, which was “Most disastrous robot”.
As you probably know, the 2020 games were postponed due to the COVID pandemic. But the games that were planned for 2020 are now to take place in 2024.
Prior to PiWars 2024 being announced, my son started work on a new robot design that did take the theme into account. He was keen on the original Thunderbirds series from the 1960’s, and wanted to base a robot on the Thunderbirds Firefly:
We worked on the design together. I gave him a rough layout for the robot, then he set about modelling it in Fusion 360. I then chopped the design about and fitted the necessary parts within to turn it into a working machine. This is the result so far:
We rather enjoyed the model making aspect of our 2022 robot, so we have worked hard on the aesthetics again this year. It’s not a direct copy of the Thunderbirds original, rather it tries to catch the spirit of it. For example, the original was driven by one of the Tracy brothers, not a little red robot. Also, the original has quite a long nose, which is inconvenient for PiWars.
Build technique will be carried over from 2022: the whole machine will be 3D printed in PLA except for the Lego tracks. We’re also going to try to vacuum form the glass cockpit; this will be a first for us.
Most of the components are common with PJD: so do we buy new or dismantle and recycle the old? We’ll see.
As you can probably see, the design is only half of the machine. This is usual procedure for designing things in CAD; it’s trivial to create the other half once you’re satisfied with the first half. Actually, this is quite handy: it means I can show you a cut-away to see inside:
Team PiDrogen 